Apparatus for the steaming of fabrics



Patented May 18 I. GRASSER.

APPARATUS FOR :IHE STEAMING 0F FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 30, 192 0.

fm/ve nitw":

asi l ra uw'er I, i) f UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE. 1

:ro'snrn. canssnn, OFN TST'AL, SWITZERLAND.

APPARATUS FOR THE STEAMING OF FABRICS.

"citizen of the French Re ublic', and resident of Netstal, Canton of laris, Switzerland,

have invented a new and useful Apparatus for the Steaming of Fabrics, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

The steaming of fabrics is usually effected by causing them to pass through a box supplied with steam, which has the drawback that, for a short steaming, the tissue must receive a very great speed and that for goods, which as for instance goods with discharging eii'ects produced by hydrosulfite must be steamed with exclusion of 'air, a long time. For instance, 1 hours are necessary for producingin the steaming box a box, there may be placed a steam heating steam atmosphere free of air. These drawbacks are avoided by the apparatusfor the steaming of textile fabrics which "forms theobject of the present inventiomhereby that the fabric remains stationary in the steaming box during the steaming process and that the air is expelled completely-from the steaming box in a very short time, for instance within 5 minutesto 9; of an hour.

In this apparatus, the steaming box, which is open underneath and has well insulated walls, is placed'above the chamber for the introduction of the goods which is provided in its lower part with air and steam outlet, soithat the steam, which passes into the steaming box from above and is regularly distributed over the entire ground surface of the steaming box, can expel the air in a short time out of the steaming box downward through the said introduction chamber to the 0utsid'e,-and there is provided a lifting device for a star shaped fabric holder for the spiral suspension of the fabric to be steamed, by means of which the fabric 1 holder, on which the fabricis suspended and which is introduced 'iiito the introduction chamber only after all the air hasbeen ex- F pelled from the steaming box, can be drawn up slowly out ofthe specified introduction, chamber into the box previously filled exe 'clusively with steam, in order that it'may remain quietly in it during the steaming process, and be againlet slowly down into the introduction chamber after thecompletion ofthe steaming. V.

In order to attain the uniform expulsion of the air, by :mea-nsof the 'steamthroughout the entire ground surface of the steam- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented lay 18, 1920,

' Application filed January 30, 1920. SerialNo. 355,114.

ing box, this latter is preferably provided at I the top with a steam distributing device. This steam distributing device may, for instance, consist of a distributing cone, placed vertically within a trough in the form of a V truncated cone, against which the steam jetbox is distributedover a horizontal grating under which isarranged a hollow protecting cone, the lower end of which does not quitereach to the lateralwall of the steam ing box and conducts the Water of condensation, which is formed, into a collecting channel. 7

At the inner periphery of the steaming coil, and the introduction chamber is prowhich: it becomes possible to move the star supporting the fabric resting upon the three VGI'tlCiLl rodsof a carriage, into and out of the introduction chamber;

tional example of the new apparatus is illustrated as follows: 1 s

Figure 1 shows partially a side elevation and partially a vertical section;

secton taken at Fig; 2. shows a vertical "right angles to Fig.1

Flg. 8 shows'a horizontal sectlon approximately on the line 1'-1 of Fig. 1.

The steaming box A, whichis open under- 'vided with a door, after the, opening of In theaccompanying drawing a construc-- I neathand has its walls well insulated, rests upon the basestructure B of masonry which represents the chamber for the introduction of the goods, is of horseshoe horizontal section, and is provided above with a strong cover-plate a showing the vertlcalrelnforce- I .ment aim front,.and upon which the front part of the steaming'box is supported. The front side of the base structure; B can be closed by means of asliding door G ofwood,

which is counter-balanced by two weights a suspended over firmly" supported revoluble rollers d by means ofthe .wire ropes-'o' in order to renderv possiblethe easy opening of thedooriC. The two front walls i of the structure are protected with-angle irons c1.

against which the door can be pressed by I means of the bolting devices f. The upper edge of the door is pressed by meansot U- shaped clamps j andfwing screws it against the reinforcement a Beneath the free opening 8 of the pipe Z which is devised to serve for the supply of steam to the upper part of the steaming box, there is arranged a distributing cone m, upon which the steam jet rushing out of s strikes. The steam rebounding from m is caught up by the trough n arranged around we and thereby directed against the top or ceiling of the steaming box, so that, owing to this repeated rebounding, the inflowing steam has its original momentum reduced.

At a distance, preferably about 25 cm. from the top or ceiling of the steaming box, there is arranged beneath the trough n a metal grating 0, which enables the steam to penetrate downward, distributed throughout the entire ground surface of the steaming box. IlllilGIDGZl-tll the metal grating 0 is placed a hollow protecting cone 2?, the lower end of which is carried to a short distance away (say about 5 cm.) toward the lateral wall of the steaming box, and has for its purpose to draw off the water, produced by the condensation, into. a collecting channel 25 formed of a sloping metal? strip. In consequence of its inclined position, this channel 6 directs the steam passing between the protecting cone and the side wall of the box downward. against the middle of the steaming box. In this manner a regular expulsion of the air by the steaming out of the box A is obtained from above downward when steam is passed through the pipe Z into the box originally filled with air.

At the inner periphery of the box A is placed a steam coil D which enables the box to be warmed previously to some extent, that is to say to steam at higher temperatures. At the half height the side wall of the steaming box is provided with a recess (not shown in the drawing) which is intended for the holding of a bent thermometer.

0 indicates a pipe connected underneath to the structure B, through which pipe there can flow away to the outside, aswell the air expelled from A through 13, as also, during the steaming, the steam in excess.

For the introduciton of the fabric to be steamed into the apparatus, there is provided a six-armed star F, the arms of which are provided with brass hooks on which the fabric to be steamed is suspended spirally outside the apparatus, and three arms of the aforesaid star rest upon three vertical rods "0 of a movable carriage G.

hen, by the inrush of steam through the pipe Z, the air has been driven out of the box A, the carriage G, together with the star F having the fabric to be steamed suspended upon it, is passed into the structure B, after opening the door C, and the star F is then suspended, by means of a hook provided thereon, to a chain H passing over the roller .70, 3/, and by winding up this chain upon a small iron hasp I, lodged in the masonry structure B, the star is slowly drawn up, so

thatit is lifted off from the. IOds v of the carriage G and drawn into the steaming box arms canbe taken up by the rods '0 of the carriage, whereupon the carriage G, laden with the steamed fabric can be again removed, out of the under structure, and another carriage bearing a star provided with another fabric to be steamed can be introduced into the lower structure.

Instead of being formed by a lower structure of masonry, the chamber for the re ception of, the goods may be made of metal, and the construction both of the steaming box and of the introduction chamber may be made of the same metal sheets.

What I claim is: I v

1. Anapparatus for the steaming of fabrics, comprising a steam box, open underneath, having well insulated walls and provided with an upper steam inlet and an upper device distributing the steam uniformly over the entire ground surface of the steam box, a goods introduction chamber placed below the said steaming box and having, at its lower part, an outlet, for air and steam, so that the steam passing fromabove into the steam box can drive the airiout of the steam box downward through the goods introduction chamber to the said outlet, astar shaped fabric holder for the spiral suspension of the fabric to be steamed, and a lifting device bymeans of which the said fabric holder bearing the fabric can-be drawn up slowly from below out of the goods intro duction chamber into the steam box previously filled with steam, can be left stationary during the steaming process, and, after the'steaming, be again lowered slowly into the introduction chamber.

2. An apparatus for the steaming of fabrics having a-steam distributing device comprising a trough, having the form of a truncated cone, a distributing cone placed upright in the said trough, a horizontal grating below the said trough and a hollow protecting cone placed belowthc said grating, the lower end of which does'not reach to the lateral steaming box wall, and which directs the water of condensation, which forms, into a collecting channel. 3 7

3. An apparatus for thesteaming of fabrics, comprising a steam box, open underneath, having well insulated walls and provided with an upper steam inlet and an upper device distributing the steam uniformly over the entire ground surface of the steam box, a goods introduction cham ber placed below the said steaming box and having, at its lower part an outlet for air and steam, so that the steam passing from above into the steam box can drive the air out of the steam box downward through the goods introduction chamber to the said outlet, a star shaped fabric holder for the spiral suspension of the fabric to be steamed, and a lifting device by means of which the said fabric holder bearing the fabric can be drawn up slowly from below out of the goods introduction chamber into the steam box previously filled with steam, can be left stationary during the steaming process, and, after the steaming, be again lowered slowly into the introduction chamber, and a steam heating coil provided at the inner periphery of the steam box.

4. An apparatus for the steaming of fabrics, comprising a steam box, open underneath, having well insulated walls and provided with an upper steam inlet and an upper device distributing the steam uniformly over the entire ground surface of the steam box, a goods introduction chamber placed below the said steaming box and having, at

its lower part, an outlet for air and steam, so that the steam passing from above into the steam box can drive the air out of the steam box downward through the goods introduction chamber to the said outlet, a star viously filled with steam, can be left stationary during the steaming process, and, after the steaming, be again lowered slowly into the introduction chamber, and a transport carriage having several vertical rods for supporting the star shaped fabric holder when it is introduced into the goods introduction chamber and when it is removed from this latter. x v

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 10th day of January, 1920, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH GRASSER. l Vitnesses: V Y

OLLY M. JANTIJ, AUGUST RUEGG. 

